Today I am sharing these chewy, spicy Maple Apricot Hermit Cookies from my cookbook, Maple. They are made with whole-grain flour, they are egg-free and can be made dairy free too!

Apricot Hermit Cookies stacked on top of each other

Table of contents

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Why We Love This Recipe For Maple Apricot Hermit Cookies

Today I’m sharing my Maple Hermit Cookies, which can also be found on Baking A Moment and in my cookbook, Maple. But how could I not share the hermit cookies with you all? They are the comfort food of cookies. Did I really need to think to hard about it? Not really.

Not only do I love any excuse to show you guys how wonderful baking with maple is, but they’re honestly amazing and probably different from most other cookies you’ve tried before.

I love making these cookies as a mid-week treat. They’re great to send my kids to school with as they’re allergen free and pretty healthy for a cookie. Friends are always appreciative when I make these as well, so really these can be made whenever the mood strikes.

These can also easily be made ahead as they last at room temperature for at least 3 days. Although you can make them vegan by using almond milk, here is an actual vegan hermit cookie recipe.

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Flour

When I was testing this recipe the apricots kept falling to the bottom of the batter. And the cookies were too cakey. I used bread flour and a bit of extra mixing to give the cookies their signature chewy texture.

Like most of my baking recipes, I also call for some sort of wholegrain four. In this case, I used white whole wheat for its mild flavor. The combo worked well and they were much chewier and the apricots stayed put.

Dried apricots

Apricots are a great way to add extra natural sweetness to baked goods. They can be found with other dried fruits.

Maple sugar

Maple sugar was used to sweeten them without regular sugar. You can often find granulated maple sugar in the store in the health food section (or baking section). If you can’t find maple sugar you can use maple syrup instead.

Since maple syrup is liquid it can do all sorts of strange things to baking recipes. I have found that a good rule of thumb for using it instead of white sugar is to decrease other liquids in the recipe by 3 tablespoons for every cup of maple used in the recipe.

Molasses

Molasses, like here, is often used to replace some sugar in recipes. It also adds a really nice rich flavor to the cookies.

Turbinado Sugar

Final hermit cookie perfection came when I decided to dust the top with crunchy turbinado sugar. It gave them that classic hermit sparkle and crunch. You can find it with sugar in the baking asile. Sugar in the Raw is a popular brand. Cane sugar or sanding sugar also work.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make These Apricot Hermit Cookies

Step 1: Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking metal baking pan with cooking spray.

Step 2: Combine dry ingredients

Whisk together the bread flour, white whole wheat, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, then stir in the apricots.

Step 3: Make batter for maple hermit cookies

Whisk together the maple sugar, oil, molasses and milk (or almond or soymilk) in another medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until fully combined.  Continue mixing for 50 strokes. Scrape into prepared pan, then spread batter to ensure apricots are equally distributed.

Step 4: Bake cookies

Bake the cookies until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 24-28 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Step 5: Let cool

Let the cookies cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.  Layer the hermits between pieces of parchment in a re-sealable container.  Store at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

FAQs and Expert Tips

What to use in place of maple sugar?

If you can’t find maple sugar anywhere, use 1 cup of dark maple syrup instead and increase the bread flour to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

How long do homemade cookies last?

These homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature for about 3 days. They will last the longest if you store them in an airtight container. If you need them to last longer, place them in the freezer for up to 1 month.

What is a good variation for this recipe?

I love playing around with dried fruit. You could try adding dried oranges, dried cranberries, dried pineapple, or even some nuts!

Additional Maple Recipes to Try

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
stack of hermit cookies with apricots

Maple Apricot Hermit Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Description

Don’t be surprised that this batter is very loose. It will bake up into chewy, spicy and sweet bar cookies with bright pops of apricots.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 cup white-whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 3/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1/2 cup avocado or organic canola oil
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup milk, almond milk or soymilk
  • 4 teaspoons turbinado sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking metal baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk bread flour, white whole wheat, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until combined.  Stir in apricots.
  3. Whisk maple sugar, oil, molasses and milk (or almond or soymilk) in another medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until fully combined.  Continue mixing for 50 strokes. Scrape into prepared pan. Scrape into prepared pan. Spread batter to ensure apricots are equally distributed.
  4. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 24-28 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  5. Let cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.  Layer hermits between pieces of parchment in a re-sealable container.  Store at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes

Cooking Tip:

If you can’t find maple sugar anywhere, use 1 cup of dark maple syrup instead and increase the bread flour to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 126
  • Sugar: 13 g
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 19 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 1 g

Did you make this recipe?

Make sure you come back to the recipe post to leave a star rating and review.